Express Yourself
by jellyjo2014
Summary: Edward and Bella were sure life was going to get better after they broke up. But why can't they stop thinking about each other... - R&R! E/B. Em/R. A/J. Please Review!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:Hello****! Another Eddie-Bellie fanfiction from yours truly. Please read and review. Oh, and I'm not painting Mike Newton as the "obsessive guy" in this story. I've seen that all too often and I think he deserves a break. I mean, he's just going after what he wants. What the difference between Mike and Bella and the female (and some male) world and Mr. Pattinson/Mr. Black? **

**I'd like to give a big huge thanks to MrsSadhbhPattinson. She beta-ed this chapter and did a wonderful job! Thank you! *Hugs!***

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight/Taylor Swift related. I simply put Miss Swift's songs with Ms. Meyer's people in awkward situations. :)**

Chapter 1: They Way I Loved You (BPOV)

_March 12, 2010_

"Hello, Mr. Swan." I heard Mike Newton, my boyfriend, address my father as he answered the door.

"Hey Mike. She'll be right down." Charlie said.

I was upstairs in my bedroom. Tonight was prom. I looked myself over in the floor length mirror. I was wearing a sapphire blue dress that flowed like water down to the floor. It had thick halter-like straps and a silver accent underneath the bust and around the plunging neckline. Since I was the clumsiest person alive, I opted to wear my silver ballerina flats instead of high-heel death traps. I didn't wear any jewelry and applied just a small amount of make-up. I let my hair hang in waves down my back. I thought I looked pretty good.

I put on my jacket and Mike and Charlie watched me as I descended the stairs. When I reached the bottom, Mike stepped forward and took my hand. He kissed the back of it in a way such as Mr. Darcy would. It made me giggle.

"Your chariot awaits." He bowed down and gestured towards the door.

Charlie folded his arms across his chest and said, "Well, that chariot better bring my daughter back before midnight."

"Will do, sir." Mike said as he took my hand and led me out the door. He opened the passenger side door for me. "A beautiful seat, for the beautiful Miss Swan." I blushed. Mike always knew what to say. I got into the car and we proceeded to Forks, Washington High School.

The whole way there I kept feeling like something was missing. Not something material, more…emotional. But I couldn't put my finger on it. I had the best family – even if my mom was in Jacksonville with her new husband, Phil, and my dad was here – and I had the best boyfriend of six months. And I also had the best friends that would support me no matter what – even if I had dated my friend Alice's older brother Edward.

Then I realized that _that's_ what I was missing. I was missing Edward's crazy, annoying, goof-offy self. We had been really good friends before we started dating my sophomore year, his junior. We fought a lot towards the end of our relationship, about seven months ago. So, we decided to call it quits. After that, we didn't talk unless we had to such as during a class assignment – he was my biology partner. But I wondered to myself why did I miss him? We fought about everything all the time.

"Earth to Bella." Mike said as he waved his hand in front of my face.

I was pulled out of my thoughts. "Hmm?" I said.

"We're here. And where have you been?" He asked with a smile referring to what I'd been thinking about.

"Oh, nothing. Come on. Let's go!" I said enthusiastically as I got out of the car.

Mike took my hand and walked inside with me. I was over whelmed. This year's prom theme was Vegas. There were slot machines and blackjack tables everywhere. There was even a bar, but I could guarantee that there was no alcohol there. We would all save that for the after party tomorrow night.

"Bella!" I heard my friend Alice squeal as she ran up to me with her boyfriend Jasper Hale, who is from another school, in tow.

She hugged me tightly. "You look _amazing_!" She exclaimed as she surveyed my dress.

"Thanks, you look great, too." She was wearing a short, dark purple, strapless dress that came just above her knees. Her necklace and bracelet were chunky gold and she had gold gladiator heels. Her hair was spiky, as always, with a little gold bow headband. She was always well dressed.

I looked to Jasper. "Wow, it's been a while since I've seen you. How have you been?" I asked politely.

He shrugged. "Fine, I guess."

All of a sudden Alice shoved a camera into Mike's hands. "Here, take a picture of me and Bella." She pulled me away from Mike and Jasper took a step back to me out of the camera frame. Alice and I posed and Mike clicked the camera. We took a few more; Mike and I, Alice and Jasper, and Alice's shoes (I have no clue why).

Eventually the guys went to go chat with other guys. I didn't feel up to dancing so Alice and I sat down at one of the tables along the edge of the dance floor. We talked of what our senior years would be like and some potential college plans. She was going to Alaska University with Jasper. As of late, I was going to Washington State. Mike had been accepted to the University of Seattle and would be going there when he graduated in a couple months.

"Did you say you were going to Washington State?" Alice asked me.

"Yeah, why?"

"Hold on." She scoped the room searching for someone. Apparently she found them because she made _come here_ motions with her hand. I looked to see who was walking to our table. To my surprise it was Edward. He sat down in the chair next to Alice, completely ignoring me.

"What's up?" He said casually to his little sister.

"Bella just told me that she was going to Washington State." Edward managed a glance at me. Alice continued. "Weren't you accepted there?"

He looked at his hands. "Um…yeah."

"I thought so." Alice said.

Then a strawberry-blonde girl walked up to our table and stood right behind Edward. "Come on, Eddie!" She whined. "You have to get your ass out on that dance floor!" She started pulling at his jacket.

Edward seemed more than willing to leave. "Fine, Tanya. Let's go."

I watched as they left then I turned to Alice. "Who the hell was that?"

"Oh, that was Tanya Denali, Edward's new squeeze. Didn't I tell you about her?" She said, taking a glass of sparkling grape juice from a tray that one of the staff members was bringing around.

"No, you didn't." I felt strangely jealous. I wondered why. We had been broken up since last summer. I should be over him.

Alice didn't notice my resentfulness at first and she told me about this Tanya Denali person. "Well, she's a senior at Tacoma High School, she has two sisters, and she's on her school's volleyball team. She and Edward met back in February at one of my dad's conferences that he took us to."

I looked down at my hands. "Oh…"

That's when Alice noticed my envious behavior. "But she's really annoying and whiny sometimes and she hangs on him and follows him around like she's a lost puppy or something. And she's really obsessive of him, too."

I reached across the table and patted Alice's arm. "It's okay, Alice. You don't have to down her. I'm over him." _Or so I thought…._ Why the hell did I feel this way now? I saw him every day and these feelings had to start up _now_? Damn him and his ability to make me swoon!

As if we were saved by the bell, Mike and Jasper walked up. "May I have this dance, Isabella?" Mike said as he held his hand out to me.

I pushed back my thoughts of Edward and stepped out onto the dance floor with Mike. We twirled around throughout the slow country song. At the end, we all clapped and another song came on. It wasn't that slow, but people were treating it that way. I recognized it as Taylor Swift's _The Way I Loved You_. I turned to Mike so we could dance.

"Sorry, babe. I gotta go to the bathroom." He looked around, spotted Edward, and pulled him over by his arm. "Here! Dance with Eddie-boy through this one. I'll be right back." He left out the door of the dance hall to the bathrooms.

Edward and I just looked at each other for a moment before he finally held his hand out to me. "May I, Bella?"

I nodded and took his hand. His right hand held my left and his left hand snaked around to rest on my waist. I placed my right hand on his shoulder. We started dancing and it felt strangely…_right_.

Then I heard the first few words of the song:

_He is sensible and so incredible and all my single friends are jealous._

_He says everything I need to hear_

_And it's like I couldn't ask for anything better._

_He opens up my door and I get into his car_

_And he says "You look beautiful tonight"_

_And I feel perfectly fine_

_But I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain_

_And it's 2am and I'm cursing your name_

_You are so in love that you act insane_

_And that's the way I loved you_

_Breaking down and coming undone_

_It's a rollercoaster kind of rush_

_And I never knew I could feel this much _

_And that's the way I loved you_

And then I realized why I felt the way I did about Edward. I still cared about him. But I didn't realize it earlier because I didn't feel anything with Mike. He did everything perfectly. But I couldn't go back to Edward now. I had Mike. He's great and I really care about him. Besides, Edward has Tanya. Remembering Tanya made me ask a question out loud.

"So, how did you meet Tanya? Alice said it was at some conference." I said trying to blow my curiosity off as small chit-chat.

Edward shrugged his shoulders. "My dad takes us to his Washington State Medical Staff Conference every year in Tacoma. Tanya was there with her father and we just got to talking. We exchanged numbers and that was about it. Now we're here."

"Oh." I said. We were silent as the last few lyrics of the song played.

_And you were wild and crazy_

_Just so frustrating, intoxicating, complicated_

_Gotta wait for some mistake and I_

_I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain_

_It's 2am and I'm cursing your name_

_I'm so in love that I acted insane_

_And that's the way I loved you_

_Breaking down and coming undone_

_A rollercoaster kind of rush_

_And I never knew I could feel that much_

_And that's the way I loved you_

Edward and I stepped back from each other, but surprisingly he still held my left hand. Even more surprising was what he said next. "I think that's the worst thing we ever did. Dated, I mean. It ruined our friendship." He squeezed my hand and, before I could respond, walked away.

I just stood there as I watched him disappear in the crowd of dancing people.

"Hey, Bells." Mike said as he snaked his arms around my waist. For the second time that night I forced Edward from my mind. I would avoid him at all costs.

I didn't bump into Edward for the rest of the night, thankfully…until they announced prom king and queen. The nominees were Edward, Mike, and a kid named Tyler Crowley for king and Jessica Stanley, Angela Webber, and me for queen. I wasn't thinking that I would win. I was expecting Jessica to. She's a little shorter than me with blonde hair and big boobs. Of course she would win.

"And our prom queen of 2009 is…" Eric Yorkie, a nerdy boy on the school newspaper and student council announced from a piece of paper in his hand, "Isabella Swan!"

Everyone clapped and my jaw dropped. They picked a _junior_ over Jessica Stanley, _a senior_? Alice had to push my back a little to get me to go on stage and accept my plastic crown and sash that read: _2010 Prom Queen FHS. _I knew I had to be blushing a million different shades of red. I looked around for Mike. He smiled and winked at me. I stood there as Eric announced prom king.

"And prom king is… Edward Cullen!" Everyone clapped just as they had done for me. He came on stage, shook Principal Barron's hand, and accepted his crown and scepter.

Why couldn't God just strike me dead now? First, new – and old at the same time – feelings for Edward had arose. Second, Edward had told me that our friendship was ruined by our dating. And third, I was going to have to dance with him _again_ as they ceremonial prom king and queen with everyone watching on the sidelines. This was pure torture for my plan of staying clear of him.

"Now for the ceremonial prom king and queen dance." Eric said as he signaled to the DJ to start the music.

Edward and I stepped out on to the dance floor. We were quiet for a while and I couldn't take it anymore. I said the only thing I could think of. "You look nice."

He smiled faintly. "Thanks. You look good, too."

I tried to keep a conversation going with anything at all. "So…I haven't seen Tanya in a while. Did she leave?"

"Yeah, she said she was bored so I gave her the keys to my car. She went to my house. We're driving back to Tacoma in the morning." He informed me.

"Oh." That seemed to be my response for everything tonight.

We dance to the song for a little while and when it was over everyone clapped.

The dance was over at 11:30pm that night. I was due back at Charlie's by midnight. Mike helped me into my coat. As we got into his car, I saw Edward walking down the road.

"Hold on a minute, Mike." I said as I walked toward Edward. Luckily I wasn't wearing heels or catching up to him would be impossible. "Edward!" I shouted so he could hear.

He turned around. "What is it, Bells?"

"Why are you walking home?"

"Tanya took my car home and I can't get a hold of anyone. I'm just going to walk." He put his hands in his pockets and turned to walk away.

"Edward, it's six miles to your house from here. Just let Mike and me give you a ride." I said. I walked up to him and put my hand on his arm.

"Are you sure he won't mind?" Edward asked just as Mike pulled up in his car. He rolled down the window and asked what I was doing.

"Mike, will you give Edward a ride home?" I asked sweetly.

He nodded. After many thanks, Edward climbed into the backseat and me in the front. We sped off to the Cullen's humble abode.

After dropping him off, it was 11:50 and a twenty-five minute drive to my house. I was going to miss curfew for sure. And being the police chief's daughter that did not happen. Charlie would ring my neck for sure.

We pulled into my driveway at 12:17am. I could see the living room light on so I knew Charlie was awake. I got out of the car to go inside. Mike got out, too.

"I'll go with you, Bella. I'm sure he's a little angry with me that I brought you back late." He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and we walked into the house together.

"Seventeen minutes late. I demand an explanation." Charlie almost shouted from his spot in the recliner in the living room. He was just worried about me because he saw all too often reports come into the station about a teenage girl who'd gone missing in Seattle or something. I knew he was just protecting me.

"I'm sorry dad. But it's just seventeen minutes. It's not that big of a deal." I said putting my hands on my hips.

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. "Isabella Marie Swan! First off, that is no way to speak to your father. And second, for seventeen minutes I didn't know if you were dead in a ditch or somewhere else! A lot could've happened in those seventeen minutes!" He stood up now and crossed his arms across his chest.

Mike spoke up. "I'm sorry, sir. It's my fault. I agreed to take a friend of mine home because he didn't have a ride. I didn't pay attention to the time. Please don't yell at Bella for this. It's not her fault. Once again, I'm sorry."

That seemed to smooth Charlie out a bit. He was obviously still a little annoyed with me, but Mike's maturity and knowledge of the right thing to say worked it's magic. "Well…alright. But don't let it happen again. Do you both hear me?" We nodded. "Alright, Mike, I think it's time you got home." He went upstairs.

Mike gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow at Jessica Stanley's for the after party."

I nodded and hugged him. "Good night."

"Night, Bells."

I went upstairs to my room. Charlie had already retired to his bedroom. I changed into my pajamas – a simple Forks High t-shirt and grey sweat pants – and climbed into bed.

I laid here for what felt like forever. I couldn't get the image of Edward out of my head. His words kept repeating themselves: _"I think that's the worst thing we ever did. Dated, I mean. It ruined our friendship."_

Eventually I found myself awake at 2am mentally cursing Edward for keeping me awake with his damn charm and mysteriousness. I did everything I could to get my mind off him. I read a book, listened to my ipod, did a puzzle, organized my backpack, everything but none of it worked. Eventually I fell asleep around 4am. Luckily I would have all day tomorrow to sleep because it was Saturday. Then, from ten till whenever, it was party time.

**A/N: Okay, so this story has been on my computer for a while. I have like six chapters done.**

**-Kelli**

**Review!…****please?...  
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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I know I told a few people I'd update on Thursday, but I was bored so I did some edits on this chapter and put it up for you. This chapter is brought to you by Far Away by Nickelback and by my overly creative mind.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight/Nickelback related. Too bad…**

Chapter 2: Far Away (EPOV)

_Saturday, March 13, 2010_

Tonight was the prom after party at Jessica Stanley's house. Why she didn't have it right after prom, I don't know.

It was 9:30pm and I was still trying to figure out which shirt to wear. I would usually just ask Alice but she was with Jasper at his school and his prom. So, I was out of luck. I mean, I could just ask my mother, Esme, but she would just scold me on the importance of staying sober tonight. And I intended to. I had seen my older brother, Emmett, his wife Rosalie, and their unborn baby get into a car crash a year ago involving a drunk driver. Rose and Emmett weren't hurt that bad physically but they had lost their baby and that was a wound that still hadn't healed. From that day on, I vowed to never drink.

I quickly decided on a dark green, v-neckish t-shirt and my pair of favorite jeans – the well worn ones. I tried to make my hair lay flat a little, but it was a lost cause. It just went spastic in any direction it pleased.

I put on my coat – even though it was the middle of March, it was still a little chilly and rainy in the small town of Forks, Washington – and picked up my car keys from on top of my dresser. I waved goodbye to Esme and Carlisle, my father, and left the house.

As I was driving to the after party, a song came on the radio. I had heard it a million times but never actually _listened_ to the words.

_This time, this place_

_Miss used, mistakes_

_Too long, too late_

_Who was I to make you wait?_

_Just one chance, just one breath_

_Just in case there's just one left_

_Cause you know, you know_

_I love you, I loved you all along_

_And I miss you_

_You're far away for far too long_

_I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never know_

_I'll stop breathing if I don't see you anymore_

The song made me think of Bella and what happened at prom. She was stunning in her sapphire dress. Then again, she was always stunning. But the little prick she brought with her to prom didn't look good. I was mentally kicking myself for ever letting Bella go. Now she was with the Mike Newton kid. I thought back to the day Bella and I broke up. It was August 12th, 2009

"_Isabella!" I shouted at her. I rarely used her full name, but right now I needed the upper hand. "You're completely impossible!"_

"I'm _the impossible one?" She said stabbing her finger at her chest. "What about _you_ Mr. I-don't-need-help-from-a-bitch?"_

_We were standing in the middle of her front yard. Several people had heard our fowl language and shouting and had shooed their children inside. I didn't care who heard us, Bella was being absurd and not letting me explain._

"_I already told you _a million times_!" I threw my hands up in the air. "I wasn't talking about you! Just because that bone-head Crowley kid said I was doesn't make it true!"_

_She crossed her arms across her chest and glared at me. "Well I don't give a damn! You're an asshole and I think we're over."_

_I was angry with her and said the words I still regret to this day. "Thank God! I don't think I could handle more of your bitch-ass whining!" And I stormed off to my car and drove away. That's when I realized I had ruined my chance with the one girl I actually loved._

Why couldn't we just have stayed friends? But I had to go and screw it all up by asking her out. Then at prom I find out we're going to the same college, then Newton just _had_ to make me dance with her so he could take a dump, then I told her how I really felt about our dating. Then I got scared and ran away.

Damn that woman had some effect on me. Once second I could hate her guts, the next I can't take my eyes off her and want to kiss her. Will these feelings ever get straightened out?

But it didn't matter what I felt about Bella. I had Tanya and she had Mike. I would avoid her. I don't want to get caught up in the mess.

I guess the reason I hated Mike so much was because of Bella. Mike's a great guy, don't get me wrong, but somehow he got Bella in less than a month of me and her breaking up. How he did it, I have no clue.

Before I knew it, I was at Jessica's house. It was 10:15pm and I could already hear Eminem blasting from somewhere in the house. I parked my car and headed inside. I hung my coat in the closet and then looked around. The place smelled of alcohol and cigarette smoke. I would only stay a little while. I didn't really like high school parties. People always ended up wasted and with a headache the next day.

I spent an hour or two mingling with people. It was around midnight and I was about to go home. When I went to get my coat from the closet, I heard people shouting "Bel-la, Bel-la, Bel-la!" over and over again. I followed the noise and ended up in the kitchen. Bella was sitting on the counter and obviously already wasted. She was having a drinking contest with another girl I'd never seen before. I knew this was a situation Charlie wouldn't approve of. I looked around for Newton and found him passed out in an armchair in the living room. Some dependable boyfriend he was.

I had to get Bella out of there. I pushed through the crowd around her. She had just polished off a large cup of beer and was about to go for another one. I snatched the cup of beer out of her reach with one hand and grabbed her wrist with the other.

"Hey!" She objected. "E-Edward Cullen." Her words were terribly slurred. "Gi-give that…back!"

I pulled her off the counter and threw the cup of beer in the sink. "No, Bella. You've had enough tonight. I'm going to take you home."

She pulled her arm from my hand and tried to protest. Her wobbly legs made her fall against me. I caught her and she began laughing terribly. "Whoops!" She said. The next second, she blacked out. I gathered her up in my arms and walked out the door. I buckled her into the passenger side seat of my Volvo and drove to Charlie's.

When I arrived at his house I didn't see any lights on so I knew Charlie was asleep. I didn't know where Bella's spare key was to the house and I didn't want to just barge in. So, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed the number I had committed to memory. The phone rang and rang and rang. Finally saw the light in the kitchen come on in the house and I heard Charlie.

"Who the hell is this? Do you know that it's 12am?" A very groggy Charlie said on the other line.

"I'm sorry, Charlie. It's Edward." I knew Charlie knew me because Alice and Bella are best friends, therefore I would occasionally give them rides – and sometimes accompany them – to the movies or the mall.

Before I could say anything else, Charlie almost shouted. "Is my Bella alright? I swear to all that is holy if she's hurt you and that Newton boy are dead!" Why he wanted to kill me, I didn't know.

I quickly reassured him. "Bella's fine. I'm actually sitting outside your house in my car. She's had a little too much to drink and has passed out. I was wondering if you could let me in so I could carry her to her bed."

Charlie hung up the phone without saying a word. I saw the front porch light come on and Charlie stepped out of the house in his flannel robe. He looked beyond angry. Being the chief's daughter, Bella should've known not to get completely trashed.

I got out of the car and pulled Bella into my arms. Thank goodness she was light or else I'd never be able to make it up the steeper than Mount Everest steps that led up to the porch.

"Just take her up to her room." Charlie said to me. He sighed. "She's going to be in a heap of trouble in the morning. It's gonna be a hard day of work for her."

I lugged Bella up the stairs and into her room. I laid her on her bed, removed her shoes, and covered her up. I started toward the stairs but I heard her mutter something. "What was that, Bella?" I said as I took a small step closer to her.

She sat up on one elbow. "I said thanks…" And then she passed out again. I chuckled softly and went down stairs. Before I could leave Charlie stopped me.

"Now just a second there, Edward." He said as he got up from the couch. "I want to talk to you."

I sighed thinking about just getting home and to my bed. I already had too much to think about – mainly Bella. So much for my plan of keeping away from her.

"Sure." I walked into the living room and stood in front of him. I was easily five inches taller but something about the badge and gun I knew was hanging by the front door made me a little cautious.

"Sit down." I did and so did he. "I want to know how all this," He motioned with his hand in the direction of Bella's bedroom. "happened."

"Well, it's pretty self-explanatory." My words came out a little sharper than I intended. I was dog tired and my mind was in ten million different directions.

Charlie just chuckled. "Yeah, I see that. What I meant was, where is Mike? Shouldn't he have been the one to bring her home?"

"Yeah, but the last time I saw him was when he was passed out in the Stanley's living room." I informed him. That didn't seem to make Charlie any happier.

"I told him to take care of her. And what does he do? He goes and gets himself trashed. I just hope no one drinks and drives. I mean, I saw what that shit did to your brother and his wife."

I flinched at the mention of the accident.

"Oh," Charlie said, looking for words. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up."

I nodded. "It's okay. It was just a tough time for all of us. Still is."

Charlie stood up. I did, too. "Well, I won't keep you up any longer. Good night, Edward." He said as he shook my hand. "And thanks for bringing my baby girl home."

"Anytime, sir." I said as I left the house.

As I drove to my house the memory of Em and Rose's wreck came to me. It was the evening of February, 20th, 2009…

_The house phone rang and my mother answered it. I didn't pay any attention. Alice, my father, and I were all watching America's Funniest Home Videos in the living room. Then I heard my mother shout, "Ohmigosh! Are they alright? The baby? I'll be right there!" She didn't even hang up the phone, she just let it hang off the hook. My father jumped up off the couch and tried to calm my mother down enough to tell us what happened._

"_Esme." He said, taking a hold of her shoulders. "Talk to me! What happened?"_

"_There was a wreck." Mom said threw her hysterical sobs. "Carlisle, Emmett and Rose were hit by a drunk driver. They're at the hospital now. We have to go." She broke free of Dad's hands and picked up her keys from the kitchen counter. Alice, Dad, and I followed her out. Fifteen minutes later, after some devil driving by my father, we were at Masen County Hospital. _

_We all ran inside. Since Dad worked there, he knew where to go and didn't have to go through all the visitor paperwork. We followed him up an elevator, down several hallways, and into a large room full of beds with curtains around them. The sign above the door read 'Emergency Housing Room'._

_We asked the woman at the small desk if anyone by the name of Cullen had been checked in. She said that two Cullens had been checked in. As we followed her she informed us that the woman – who we knew was Rosalie – had been taken to a room for some tests and the man – Emmett – was fine with just some scrapes and bruises._

_Esme was the first to spot him. "Emmett!" She shouted as she ran to him and threw her arms around him._

"_Ooh! Ouch!" He protested. Esme apologized and pulled back. She was crying hysterically. And then I realized Emmett was crying. This was a strange sight. Emmett never cried._

_I sat down on the bed. "What's wrong?" I whispered to him while my mother and father talked with the nurse. Alice was standing by quietly for once._

"_Rose got hit pretty hard in the stomach by the airbag." He leaned on me. "Th-there's a p-possibility that sh-e lost th-the baby." He sobbed. I had known that Rosalie was three months pregnant with her and Emmett's first child. I felt a lump form in my throat. _

"_Emmett Cullen." A female doctor said from a door way leading to another hallway. "Will you come with me, please?" Emmett followed reluctantly._

_Ten minutes later we got the heart breaking news…_

As I pulled into our driveway I found myself crying. I knew it was harder on Emmett and Rose, but it was my niece or nephew that was killed by the drink driver. And the driver got away with nothing more than a suspended license.

I sat in the car for a little while to gather my composure. After a while I went inside. Seeing as it was 1:30am I figured everyone would be asleep. Then I saw a lamp on in the living room. I went to investigate.

But I wished I hadn't.

Alice and Jasper were making out on the couch. I almost threw up. My baby sister tongue-tied with a guy on my couch? Eww! I couldn't speak so I took my shoe off and aimed for Jasper's head. I hit him square in the jaw.

"What the he –" Jasper began to protest…until he saw who threw the shoe. His eyes got as big as half dollars. If I hadn't been grossed out, I would have laughed.

"Ugh!" Alice complained. "You're not supposed to be home yet." She said, untangling herself from Jasper – who was still speechless – and came to stand in front of me.

"That doesn't give you the right to swap spit with a guy on the couch!" I half shouted at her.

"You know, Emmett wouldn't have done that." She always tried to make me feel guilty by playing her Emmett-is-a-better-big-brother-than-you-are card.

"Oh yeah? Well Emmett's not here!" I was starting to get angry. I had too much on my mind to deal with her shit.

Amidst our sibling squabble, Jasper came up behind Alice with his jacket in his hands. He kissed Alice on the cheek. "I think I've worn out my welcome, babe. I'll call you later." He said. Alice hold on to his hand.

"No, don't leave yet. Just because my asshole brother doesn't like seeing his little sister kiss a guy doesn't mean he has the authority to kick you out." She glared at me.

"Yes, darlin', but I respect your brother and don't want him, or Emmett, coming after me." He kissed her once more. "See you later." And he was gone. Alice huffed, cursed me under her breath, and went upstairs to her room.

I went to my room, slipped off my shoes, and flopped down on my bed. I was just about to drift off to sleep when my cell phone rang. I saw that it was Tanya and knew that she would have my neck if I didn't answer. I groaned and hit the _accept call_ button.

"Hello?" I said in a groggy voice. Maybe she'd get the hint that I was tired and leave me alone.

"Edward? Oh my God! I tried calling you like a million times!" _No you didn't_. I thought to myself. "And you wouldn't pick up. What's the deal?"

"Tanya, I –" but before I could explain she started in on something else.

"Oh, I was talking to that Jessica Stanley girl – she's a friend of mine – and she said that you were messing around with that Swan bitch."

I was on my feet in an instant. "She is _not_ a bitch!" I shouted into the phone. I didn't give a damn if I woke my parents up. No one had the right to call my Bella a bitch. And I had no clue where the sudden defensiveness came from. It surprised even me.

Tanya didn't seem to hear me. "Well, I'll call you in the morning when you're not sleep deprived." Was that a comment about me being too tired to agree with her? Maybe I am crazy…. "Ciao!" She hung up.

I turned my phone off and dropped it onto my nightstand. I flopped down on my bed with my face in my pillow. Tanya was something else…and not really a good something either. I wondered why I had ever started dating her in the first place.

Oh yeah, now I remember. It was to get Bella off my mind. It didn't work.

I still thought about her all the time. And no matter what I did she was always in my head. It was like she was back with the breathing and blinking part of my brain, the part that never turns off.

Why did she have to be impossible? Why did I have to be an idiot and say what I said? I, once again, mentally kicked myself.

Eventually I fell asleep.

**-Kelli**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter is brought to you by George Strait and his song Father's Love.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight/George Strait related. I just simply use Mr. Strait's songs to make Ms. Meyer's characters feel extremely guilty.**

Chapter 3: Father's Love (BPOV)

_Sunday, March 14, 2010_

"_Isabella…" I heard the most wonderful voice say. It sounded familiar but I couldn't fully recognize it. I followed it through the forest. I could hear it but never catch up to it no matter how fast I ran. "Isabella…" It said again. This time it sounded farther away. "Isabella…" And then the beautiful voice was gone._

_Now I was alone. I didn't know where I was. I began to cry and curled up into a ball on the cold forest floor. It seemed as if the voice was my life source and now my life was gone…_

"Bella." I heard Charlie say as he pounded on my bedroom door.

It was just a dream. But I didn't know if that was good or bad thing.

"Isabella Swan!" He pounded again. "I'm going to come in there if you're not up and dressed in the next five minutes." I heard him go down stairs.

I cautiously opened my eyes, but shut them quickly when the sunlight that poured in through my window hit me in the face. I had a pounding head ache and was sick to my stomach. I slowly sat up on my bed. I noticed I was completely dressed. That made me wonder how I got home last night. Surely I didn't drive…

I got out of bed and shuffled to my dresser. I picked out a pair of jeans and my plaid, flannel shirt. I took a shower and got dressed. I put on a pair of sunglasses. Maybe that would tone down the sunlight a bit. I went down stairs slowly. I could hear Charlie in the kitchen cooking something. Whatever it was it smelled awful and it made my stomach churn. I ran to the downstairs bathroom and threw up in the toilet. After I rinsed my mouth out I joined Charlie in the kitchen. I sat down at the table and put my head in my hands.

"Well, Miss Swan, you're going to have a rough day today." Charlie said as he slid a very greasy egg onto a plate and put the plate in front of me. I looked up.

"What is that?" I said pointing to the disgusting egg.

Charlie smiled smugly. "That, my dear, is your breakfast. After you finish that I'm going to take you over to the Stanley's so you can pick up your truck. Then you're driving down to La Push to help a friend of mine with some manual labor. He and his son have their own boat business and need help washing the boats." He got up with his cup of coffee in his hand. Before leaving the kitchen he smiled and said, "Eat up."

I groaned and forced the horrible egg down my throat. I washed it down with water but I was craving soda. I'd never been hungover before and I knew right now that this would be the first and last time. I downed two Tylenol and got into Charlie's police cruiser.

I slouched down in the seat and closed my eyes. Then I remembered to ask Charlie something.

"Dad?" I said quietly. Loud noises just made my headache worse. The Tylenol wasn't helping much.

"Yeah, Bells?"

"Did Mike bring me home last night? I can't remember." I said sheepishly. I knew Charlie was angry with me for getting wasted and talking about it wouldn't help him forget.

"No, Mike passed out. Edward brought you home."

"Oh." was all I said. Of course Edward would bring me home. He knows all too well that my father would kill me if he had to go pick my drunken ass up at the Stanley's instead of being brought home. I made a mental note to thank him later.

We were quiet for a while. Then a song came on the radio. It was one of Charlie's favorite country songs. He was like me. He expressed himself through music by saying "This song has a good story." or something like that.

I recognized this as George Strait's Father's Love.

_I got sent home from school one day with a shiner on my eye _

_Fighting was against the rules and it didn't matter why_

_When dad got home I told that story just like I'd rehearsed_

_Then stood there on those trembling knees and waited for the worst_

_And he said, "Let me tell you a secret about a father's love_

_A secret that my daddy said was just between us._

_He said daddies don't just love their children every now and then._

_It's a love without end, Amen."_

The song almost made me cry because it made me realize that I had let my father down.

"I'm sorry, Daddy." I whispered. I rarely called him daddy but right now I felt like doing so.

He put his arm around my shoulders and gave me a quick hug. "It's alright Bells. Just promise that it won't happen again."

"I promise." I mumbled.

He dropped me off at the Stanley's house and told me how to get to the Black's house, the people I would be working for, for the rest of the day. Charlie drove off.

That's when I noticed Mike's car sitting next to my truck. They were the only two vehicles in front of the house. I walked up to it and peeked in. Mike was lying across the back seat asleep. I knocked on the window but he didn't budge. I opened the door and his foot fell out.

"What the hell!" He shouted as he sat up. He saw it was me. "Bella? What are you doing here?"

I put my hands on my hips. "I came to pick up my truck. You know you're sitting in the Stanley's driveway sleeping in your car right?"

He looked around. "Shit!" He said. He covered his face with his hands and sat back against the seat.

"Well I have to get to La Push. Charlie is making me work of my hangover." I looked him over. He looked terrible. "Are you sure you can make it home okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I'm just sorry that you got in trouble. I shouldn't have drank so much or I would have made sure you didn't either." He rubbed his eyes. "How'd you get home?"

"Edward took me home." I said.

"Oh." He got out of the car, closed the door, and leaned against it. "I hope Charlie doesn't take it out on you too hard."

"All he's done so far is made me eat disgusting greasy eggs and now I'm off to work for a friend of his." I said humorlessly.

"Oh, well I better get home before my parents do. They're supposed to be back from LA at noon." He stepped forward and hugged me. I hugged back. "I'll see you later, maybe." I nodded as he got into his car and drove away.

I managed to get to Billy and Son's Boating Supplies store. I'd never been to La Push before and I was a little surprised to find out that it was an Indian reservation. Charlie had told me that Billy's son's name was Jacob and that I'd played with him and his older twin sisters when I was little, but I couldn't remember him at all. Apparently Jacob was the only one still at home. Rachel and Rebecca had moved away.

"Hello, Bella." Billy Black greeted me as I stepped into his store. I noticed that he was in a wheelchair. I'd have to ask Charlie about that later. "Hey, Jake!" He shouted to the back of the store.

"Yeah?" I heard a guy's voice say. Then Jacob appeared from one of the aisles stocked with boating and fishing equipment. He was gorgeous. His russet colored skin was the perfect contrast to his amazingly white smile. His body wasn't that bad either. He was well built in the muscle department.

"Oh, you must be Isabella." Jacob said as he held out his hand to me. I shook it.

"Just Bella." I told him.

He smiled. "Okay, _just Bella_." He winked at me. I couldn't help but blush.

Billy cleared his throat. "Bella, you'll be working with Jake today in the back. I have some boats that need to be washed and ready for showing. Do you think you can do that for me?"

"Sure." I followed Jacob to the back of the store and through a door that lead to a big outdoor open area that was full of boats, some built for speed and some built for luxury.

While I admired the twenty-something boats I could hear Jacob filling up buckets with water. He pushed on into my arms. "Time to get our hands dirty." He winked at me and flicked water from his bucket in my face.

And that's how the next five hours went. We washed boats and flicked water on each other. We even made small talk.

"So, my dad said you're stuck here today because you got in trouble." Jacob said as he washed one side of the last boat while I washed the other. "Um…would you mind if I asked what you got in trouble for?"

Aww…this Jacob was too cute. "No, I don't mind." I sighed. "I just got way too drunk last night at the prom after party. I passed out and Edward, my fri –" I stopped myself from saying friend. I didn't want to give our relationship a name other than acquaintance. "A guy I know," there that sounded better. "had to take me home."

Jacob came around the boat and looked at me. "Edward Cullen?"

A little alarm went off in my head. How did Jacob know Edward? I really hoped they weren't good friends. That would just make this whole situation all the more awkward. "Yeah…do you know him?"

Jacob scoffed. "Hell yeah I know him. We've been best friends since we were little kids." He laughed. "You know, now that I think about it, he did mention something about having to take a friend home last night and that he was dead tired. That's why he didn't come over to my house this morning to watch cartoons." His words cut off abruptly.

I smirked. "What about watching cartoons?"

"Nothing." Jacob said. His eyes were wide.

I squinted my eyes. "Something tells me that you're lying."

He groaned. "Fine. Every morning that I can remember, me and Edward have watched Saturday morning cartoons at my place before coming to work with my dad. It's just some weird thing we do." He was blushing.

I walked over to him and threw my arm around his shoulders – which was hard considering he was easily a foot taller than me. "It's okay, bud. You're secret is safe with me."

"Hey are you two done?" I heard Billy yell from the building. "Charlie called and said he'd be bringing some pizzas for supper."

Jacob and I nodded and said we'd be inside in a little bit. We climbed into one of the massive boats and sat down on the comfy leather seats.

"So, how do you know Edward?" Jacob asked me.

I bit down on my lip. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell Jacob. But, what the heck, who cares if I dated his best friend? "We were together a while back."

He looked at me like he knew something that I didn't. "So, you're _that_ Bella."

My brow furrowed. "What Bella?"

"The Bella that Edward never shut up about." He laughed. "He told me so much about a girl he'd been dating named Bella and about how amazing he thought she was. He was ruining our cartoons with all his mushy heartfelt crap." His face fell a little. "But seeing my best friend hurt like that is horrible."

Edward thought that I was amazing? And he told this Jacob Black all about me and him? That didn't seem like him. He rarely opened up about his feelings, even to me. Then I remembered what Jacob said. "What do you mean seeing him hurt?"

Jacob sighed. "He came over to my house right after you two broke up. He was in tears. All he could keep saying is that he screwed up big time." Then Jacob looked away from me. "And that's when I suggested he find someone else."

My face fell. "Oh…"

"But I didn't know you still liked him. I mean, apparently you gave him a good yelling." Jacob said trying to make a smooth recovery.

"I don't love him. We're not even friends." Something about my own words made my throat feel like there was a lump in it. I didn't love him…I didn't! _I'm trying to fool myself._

Jacob smiled smugly. "I didn't say love."

I felt my face get hot. I tried pushing Edward from my mind. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. I'm in a relationship with another guy now."

Jacob put his arms behind his head and relaxed back in his chair. "Oh, right, right. That Mike Newton guy. Edward's told me how _great_ he is." He said sarcastically while rolling his eyes. I was beginning to get annoyed with Jacob. He obviously wasn't afraid to tell someone what he thought.

I glared at him. "Mike is a great guy. And, for your information, we don't fight as much as me and Edward did." My cell phone in my pocket started ringing. I pulled it out, the caller ID said it was Mike.

Jacob glanced over at my phone and laughed. "And speak of the devil."

I glared at him and answered the phone. "Hello?" I said it a little sharper than I intended.

"Bella?" Mike said. "What's wrong?"

I was still glaring at Jacob who was busy trying not to laugh. "Oh, nothing. There's just this big prick that won't shut up."

"Should I come beat the shit out of him for you?" Mike said his voice full of concern.

"No, no. You don't have to do that." I sighed and looked down at my hands. "So, is there anything in particular you called about?"

"No…Well, yeah. It turns out that my cousin, Victoria, is having a shot-gun wedding in New York so me, Mom, and Dad are all flying out there tomorrow after school and we're not coming home until next Sunday."

I could feel my hope for an Edward distraction diminish. "Oh…I hope you have fun." I said in the lightest voice I could manage.

"I'm sorry. I'll call you everyday if that will make you feel any better." Mike was sincerely apologetic.

"It's okay, Mike. Just promise me you'll have a good time."

"I will. I love you." He said.

"Mmhmm," I said as I looked at Jacob. His brow was furrowed. "Bye." And I hung up and turned to Jacob. "What's your deal?"

"Did you know that your phone was on speaker?"

I looked at my phone. I had accidentally hit the speaker button when I answered it. That meant… "Did you hear our entire conversation?"

He nodded. "And there' something I'd like to point out, if that's alright with you." I nodded. Here comes the Mr. I-don't-give-a-shit-if-I-offend-you. "He said the L-word before hanging up, and your response was _'Mmhmm'_."

I shrugged. "What about it?"

"To me that seems like either, A: you didn't hear him – which is not likely, or B: you don't feel the same way." He got up and jumped out of the boat. "I think you need to get your shit together, Bella, and decided what you really want." And he walked inside.

I would've been angry with him, but I knew he was right.

**A/N: Okay, so this is my favorite Jacob that I've written so far! :) I mean, how many fanfics are there that make Ed and Jake get along? Let alone BFFs? **

**~Kelli(jellyjo2014) Please review! Reviews keep the story going!  
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	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This chapter is a lot like the Blood Typing chapter in Twilight, I'm sorry but I couldn't think of anything better. Plus, it's brought to you by Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows. Gotta love 'em! **

**And would you guys like it if I put links on my profile to these songs? Tell me in a review!**

Chapter 4: Accidentally In Love (EPOV)

_Monday, March 15, 2010_

Monday was rough. I hadn't gotten any sleep at all thanks to the fact that Bella kept popping into my head. I just had to keep pushing her out of my mind and avoid her. I had Tanya Denali. And she was great…for the most part. But who doesn't have problems, right?

_Isabella Swan._

Ugh! I mentally cursed my inner thoughts for betraying me.

And nothing got better once I got to school. First off, I was forced to sit next to Bella during Biology, also Mr. Monroe had an announcement.

"Alright, since we're studying about the circulatory system, I thought it would be fun if you all knew your blood type." I heard several people in the class say 'cool' or 'awesome'. I had no problem with the blood typing. I looked to Bella who was sitting next to me. Her face was pale and she looked like she would throw up.

Mr. Monroe didn't pay any attention to her. "I've already had Ms. Cope contact all of your parents and got approval for this experiment. Let's begin!"

While he handed out sharp pins, microscopes, small bottles of some sort of chemical, and Petri dishes I leaned closer to Bella. "Are you alright?"

She nodded without ever looking at me. I knew she wasn't alright but I didn't want to pry.

Mr. Monroe explained what exactly we were supposed to do and told us to begin. So, I picked up the pin and stabbed the tip of my finger. A small amount of blood oozed out.

THUMP!

I looked over to see Bella on the floor passed out. I immediately dropped the pin that was in my hand and was next to Bella in a second. I dropped to my knees. "Bella?" I said in a panicky tone. "Bella, wake up?"

Everyone was around us now. Mr. Monroe told me to take her to the nurse's office. He said it was just a case of hemaphobia, the fear of blood. I picked a still unconscious Bella up in my arms and proceeded to the main building.

As soon as we were outside and away from the blood, Bella's eyes fluttered open. She was still as pale as a ghost. She still hadn't said anything yet and that was beginning to worry me. "Bella…say something." I begged her as I continued to walk.

She just looked up at me and closed her eyes. She hid her face in my chest again. I was panicked now.

I walked into the nurse's office and sat Bella down on the small cot in the corner of the room. She just laid there and I could tell that she'd fallen asleep. Mrs. Keizer, the nurse, came into the room. "Well, what do we have here?" She said to me as she felt Bella's forehead.

"She passed out in Mr. Monroe's class. As I carried her over here she woke up but then fell back asleep." I sighed. "I don't know what's wrong."

"Well," Mrs. Keizer said. "She's got a temperature so I doubt it's because of the blood typing thing he was doing today." She sighed and looked at Bella. "I'll call Chief Swan and tell him to take her to the doctor tomorrow. She could just have a bad case of the flu." She dialed a number on the phone on the desk. I heard some mumbled words and then she hung up. "Chief says he's gotta work late. He was wondering if you could take her home. I'll have Ms. Cope excuse you from your classes."

I agreed. At least I would be sure that Bella got home okay.

I waited for her to wake up. Eventually she did. She slowly sat up on the cot. "Wh-what happened?"

I explained that she'd passed out and that I would be taking her home. Usually Bella would've objected but I guess she was still feeling sick. She just nodded her head. I helped her up and supported her weight with my arm around her waist as we walked to my car. I knew there was something not right with her.

On our way to her house I turned on the radio. The song was Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows.

_So she said, 'What's the problem, baby?'_

_What's the problem? I don't know._

_Well maybe I'm in love (love)_

_Think about it, _

_Every time I think about it,_

_Can't stop thinking about it_

_How much longer will it take to cure this?_

_Just to cure it cause I can't ignore it if it's love (love)_

_Makes me wanna turn around and face me_

_But I don't know nothing about love._

_Come on, come on_

_Turn a little faster_

_Come on, come on,_

_The world will follow after_

_Come on, come on_

_Cause everybody's after love_

_So I said I'm a snowball running _

_Running down into the spring_

_That's coming all this love_

_Melting under blue skies_

_Belting out sunlight_

_Shimmering love_

_Well baby I surrender to the strawberry ice cream_

_Never ever end of all this love_

_Well I didn't mean to do it_

_But there's no escaping your love_

_These lines of lighting mean we're never alone_

_Never alone, no, no_

_Come on, come on_

_Move a little closer_

_Come on, come on_

_I want to hear you whisper_

_Come on, come on_

_Settle down inside my love_

_Come on, come on_

_Jump a little higher_

_Come on, come on_

_If you feel a little lighter_

_Come on, come on_

_We were once upon a time in love_

_We're accidentally in love_

_Accidentally in love_

I couldn't help but chuckle. The lyrics to the song were perfect for me and Bella. We had been accidentally in love…well not _in love_ per say. I didn't really know what we were. All I knew was that the reason we had been together was when I _accidentally_ left my wallet on the coffee table in the living room of my house and when I went to get it I _accidentally_ ran into Bella as she was walking to Alice's room. And I _accidentally_ let it slip that I liked her as more than friends. And that's how we _accidentally_ ended up together.

"What?" Bella asked me. It was the first word she'd spoken since the frightening catastrophe in Biology.

I completely forgot her question. Instead I was happy to hear her voice. "Thank God you can still talk! I was having a panic attack!"

She smiled slightly. "Well, now that you know that I can talk, will you tell me what you were laughing at?" Bella's sense of humor was still intact I could see. But she was still pale.

"I was laughing at the lyrics to this song." I said as I pointed to the radio. The last few words of the song played. "It just reminded me of us, that's all."

She smiled slightly and looked down at her hands. "I was just thinking the same thing."

I wasn't sure how I felt about the fact that we'd both been thinking about how we became a couple.

I quickly changed the subject. "So…how are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "I'm extremely tired, I have a headache, and I'm a little nauseous."

I turned the radio off thinking that it might help with her headache. "We'll be at your house in a little while." I assured her.

We were both quiet for the remainder of the ride. Bella looked like she could pass out again so I helped her out of the car and into her house. I helped her get settled on the couch and made sure she had everything she needed.

"Remote, phone, water, blanket, pillow." I said out loud as I checked off my mental list of Bella needs. "Is that all?"

She looked up at me and smiled slightly. "I think that's everything. Thank you, Edward." I turned to walk away but she stopped me. "And Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for bringing me home after the party. It would've been a whole lot worse if Charlie had to come get me."

I smiled. "Any time." Before I left the house I turned back to her. "Just make sure you go to the doctor tomorrow. I don't want anything to happen to you." That last statement was more honest than any one of us could even imagine. If something _did_ happen to Bella I don't know what I'd do.

_Pull yourself together, Cullen!_ I mentally cursed myself as I got into my car. _You're supposed to be avoiding her, remember? _Yeah, so much for that idea. It had failed on multiple occasions.

By the time I got back to school there it was already more than half way through the last period. So, I thought I'd just skip. No sense in going in and having heaps of homework to do. I turned my car around and started driving to La Push. The reservation school Jacob went to let out at two o'clock.

I knew that Jake went to work straight after school. I didn't start until four, but, what the heck; I could put in a few extra hours.

I parked my car in its usual place behind the store and went in through the back door. Billy was at the register helping a customer when I walked in.

"Edward? Aren't you supposed to be at school?" He had that if-you-don't-have-a-good-reason-not-to-be-at-school-then-I'm-calling-your-father look on his face. It almost made me laugh.

"I had to take Bella Swan home after she passed out. Ms. Cope excused me from my classes for the rest of the day." I explained to him as he waved goodbye to the customer he was helping.

His expression lightened. "That's Charlie's daughter, isn't it?" I nodded. "Well I hope she's alright. She's a big help around here. I might ask her to take on a part-time job."

I nodded before I actually listened to what he said. "Wait. What? Bella helped out here?"

Billy nodded. "Apparently she got into some trouble with Charlie and, as her punishment, was sent here to wash boats all day."

So, Charlie _had _punished her for the hangover. Well, what else would you expect from the Chief of Police?

"Jake's in the back somewhere." Billy said wheeling himself to an aisle where a man was having trouble picking out lures.

I went into the back, which was just a large room that served as a break room and warehouse. The walls were stacked high with boxes of hooks, lures, bait, and various boat supplies. There was also a large freezer that we stowed all the bait that needed to be kept cold to avoid rotting. There was also a folding table in the middle of the room with two matchless chairs and a counter and sink on the wall by the door. On the counter was a microwave with a mini-fridge next to it on the floor. It was good enough for us and that's all that mattered.

I saw Jake sitting in one of the chairs reading a magazine. He must've heard me walk in because he looked up. "Dude, you're not supposed to be here for another hour."

"Yeah, I know. But who cares. I was bored." We had now gone into what every girl I know refers to as 'guy language', minimal words and few syllables.

I grabbed two sodas out of the mini-fridge and chucked one to Jake. I sat down on the chair opposite his. "So, what's this I hear about Bella working here?"

He took a large gulp of his soda. "Oh, that. It's nothing. She just came down here to help clean boats. I honestly didn't know she was _that_ Bella until she said something about you taking her home from a party after she got wasted."

Most people would've laughed at the memory of seeing goody-two-shoes-Bella drunk off her ass but I didn't. What would've happened if she had decided to drive home herself? I shook my head trying to rid it of the thoughts.

Jake didn't seem to notice. "You know, if I was one-hundred percent sure that you were over her, I'd try my luck at the role of her main squeeze. You gotta admit Edward, she's pretty hot."

Images of Bella at prom came to my mind. I zoned out. "She's beautiful."

Jake waved his hand in front of my face bringing me back to the present. "Man, don't get all sentimental on me." He leaned back in his chair and chugged the rest of his soda. "But, yeah, she is beautiful. It's just too bad that she's got that Newton prick hanging on her side. I wonder if he realizes how lucky he is."

I scoffed. "I'd give anything to be him." Did I just say that out loud? By the look of Jake's face, I had. _Quick! Think of something!_ "But I have Tanya. And she's way hotter than Bella." I tried to read his face to see if my smooth recovery had worked. I didn't want him to think that I was still hooked to Bella.

Jake didn't buy it. He looked at me in a you're-full-of-crap way and rolled his eyes. "Come on, Eddie. You honestly think that I'm _that_ stupid? I can tell that you're not over here and she's _clearly_ not over you."

"What do you mean? How do you know?" I asked.

"When she was here working Sunday, we got to talking. She got real defensive when I brought up the topic of her still liking you and not the Newton kid. Maybe you two just need to stop smitten with other people and come to a conclusion." He waggled his eyebrows.

I picked up his magazine and hit him over the head with it. "Yeah, I don't think so." I got up and went out to the front of the store to begin my 4-10 workday.

When I got home, Alice was still up. So was that Jasper kid. They were both sitting on the couch watching a movie.

"Don't you ever go home, Jasper?" I asked him. He just turned his head and winked at me.

"For you information," Alice began in an irritated tone, "he just got here like an hour ago because he had to work." She snuggled into his chest and went back to the movie.

I leaned down and whispered in Jasper's ear so Alice wouldn't hear. "You better not lay a finger on her if you want to keep your manhood." And with that I went up to my room. Jasper's face was priceless, wide-eyed and terrified.

I was about to go to bed when my cell phone rang. I saw on the caller ID that it was Emmett. I looked at the clock. It was almost midnight, but that wouldn't stop him. He didn't care what time it was.

"Yeah?" I answered.

"Hey, baby bro." Emmett said in a kissy voice. I rolled my eyes even though no one was around to see it.

"Dude, you know it's midnight, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm not a hermit, Eddie." I detested that nickname. "I tried Mom and Dad's cell and the home phone was busy so I called you and you picked up, sucker!"

"Why'd you need to get a hold of one of us so bad?"

"Because I have some big news."

"And this news couldn't've waited until the morning?" I asked in an annoyed tone. Can't I just go to bed?

"No." I heard him take a deep breath. "Rose is pregnant."

I about dropped the phone. Rose? Pregnant? This should've made me happy, and it did, but I couldn't help but think about their first pregnancy.

"Eddie? You there?" Emmett said after I hadn't said anything.

"Yeah, I'm here. Congratulations. How's Rose doing?" I asked.

I could almost see Emmett smiling that big dopey smile of his. "She's more excited than a horny teenager." Emmett and his suggestive comments. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell someone before my head exploded. Tell Mom that Rose and I are coming over tomorrow around five, okay?"

"Alright." We said goodbyes and hung up. I threw my phone onto the carpet and crashed on my bed.

**~Kelli(jellyjo2014) How about this one? Please review! I want to hear it all; the good, the bad, and even the ugly.**

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	5. Chapter 5

**~* Chapters 4 & 5 were uploaded today! *~**

**A/N: How about another chapter? This one is brought to you by Lifehouse and their song Bridges.**

**Okay, so I'm kind of stuck right now. I know what's going to happen in the next chapter but I don't want Eddie and Bella to get back together just yet. I want a little more drama. **

***Please – If you have any ideas, tell me!***

Chapter 5: Bridges (BPOV)

_Tuesday, March 16, 2010_

I was sitting in the passenger seat of Charlie's police cruiser on my way to Seattle to see a doctor about my fainting episode. Charlie insisted on driving his car instead of my truck. He said something about it being "not fit for long distance". I say humbug. My truck, however old it maybe, is fit for anything…it just takes a little longer to get there, that's all.

"So, Bells." Charlie said as we pulled into Seattle Memorial Hospital parking lot. "I won't go in with you to see the doctor if you don't want me to. I'll stay in the waiting room." I could tell that he didn't want to go with me but he wouldn't blatantly say so.

"It's okay, Dad. I'm a big girl. I can do it myself." I forced a laugh…and then I yawned. I'd been sleeping a lot more than usual but also being a lot tired than normal. I had also dropped ten pounds since prom, which was only four days ago. I knew something wasn't right but I didn't want to tell Charlie about my problems. It would only add to his worry.

Fifteen minutes later I was being led by a nurse in to a room. She took notes on my blood pressure, weight, breathing, and some other things. "Dr. Cullen will be with you shortly."

I nodded and then did a double take. "Wait a second. Dr. _Cullen_?"

She nodded lightly. "He's one of our best." She took her charts and left.

This was going to be awkward. Edward's dad would be my doctor. That meant whatever went on today, Edward would know. I wasn't sure if I liked that much.

Since I knew I'd be waiting a while, I decided to pull my phone out and call Mike. He'd been in New York with his family since yesterday after school. He'd called once since then. I dialed his number and the phone rang. He picked up midway through the second ring.

"Hey, Bella." He said. I could hear a girl laughing in the back ground.

"Hi. What's that I hear?"

"Oh, that's my cousin Raven. She's six."

"Six and a half!" I heard the little girl shout.

"Sorry," Mike said to her in a playful voice. "Six _and a half_." He turned his attention back to me. "So what's up?"

"Oh nothing, just sitting in at the doctor's office waiting for my doctor."

"What are you doing there? Are you alright?" He asked his voice full of unease.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just passed out yesterday in Biology and everyone insisted that I come to the doctor. It's no biggie." I said simply. I didn't want another person worrying over me. Renée and Charlie were enough. Maybe I shouldn't've told Mike at all.

"Are you sure? I can come home early if you're not."

"No, no. Don't come home. I'm fine." I crossed my fingers. "Honest."

He sighed. "Alright. I've got to go, but promise me you'll call me if it's anything serious."

"Fine. I promise." Just as I hung up, Carlisle walked in through the door. His nose was stuck in a file that I assumed was mine.

"Hello, Miss Bella." He greeted me as he looked up. "What seems to be the problem?"

I looked him dead in the eye. "Before we discuss anything, I want you to promise me that you won't tell Edward or Alice about anything."

He smiled. "Promise."

I went on to tell him about my fatigue, loss of appetite, weight changes, and some other things. He would just nod, occasionally write something down, or ask me to elaborate on something. He was in doctor mode.

After all was said, it was Carlisle's turn to speak.

"Well, Bella. Based on what you told me, and your increased pallor, I would like to have some tests done. They're just simple blood tests that will tell us your white-blood cell count and things of that nature."

I nodded. "Okay. When can I get these tests done?" I was anxious to be out of here as quickly as possible.

"We're not too busy here today so I think you'll be able to get them done pretty quickly. I'll just call over to the other building where they do the tests and tell them you're coming." He walked out of the room and was back in a few minutes. "Alright, you and Charlie can head over there when you're ready."

"Won't what I've ate today effect the blood tests?" I asked him as I hopped off the table.

"Not these kinds of tests."

I nodded. "Okay."

Charlie and I were, once again, in a waiting room. Then I was being led by a nurse into yet another room. Except this one had a chair with needles and tubes next to it instead of a table that I'd sit on. "You can sit down Miss Swan and we'll start the blood-drawing."

I did as she said. She felt around in the crease of my elbow for a vein. Once she found it she tied a strong elastic rubber band around the top part of my arm. That's when I closed my eyes. I felt the needle touch my skin and winced as it punctured it.

"They said you had an aversion of blood." She said as a statement and not as a question.

"That's what they thought, but I don't hate blood. It was something else that made me pass out." I said as I looked back. She had filled two medium sized tubes with my own blood.

"Don't worry. We'll figure out what it is. It could be something as minor as nerves." She put a bandage on the puncture wound and set me on my way.

Charlie and I went home. It was four when we got back to Forks so I didn't think school would be necessary. I lay down on my bed and listened to music. The song Bridges by Lifehouse came on my ipod.

_It's such a shame to let this go to waste_

_There's little time for saving face_

_We tried to put a bandage on these years_

_I know this isn't what you want to hear_

_You can say what you like_

_Pass the blame_

_I don't mind because_

_We both lit the match that burned the bridge_

_We both lit the match that burned the bridge_

_We both lit the match and watched our bridges burn down_

These lyrics somehow made me think of Edward. Damn him and his ability to get into my every thought. _Bella,_ I told myself mentally, _you're supposed to be avoiding him, remember?_

I listened closer to the song.

_Our common ground was broken long ago_

_What slipped through the cracks I fear we'll never know_

_I'll walk you through the graveyard of my mind_

_Show you all the love I buried alive_

_Cause we both walked away_

_Who was wrong, who's to say I know_

Was that what went wrong? Was it both of us that made our relationship go south? I had been telling myself all this time that it was his fault that we broke up, that I hadn't done anything to sabotage our relationship. But, now that I began to think, I had been looking for something to go wrong. I was waiting for that one moment that proved us not to be together. I was waiting for heartbreak. My lifetime of insecurities had me always looking for an alarm when things were too good to be true.

But it wasn't like that with Mike. I wasn't looking for something to go wrong. Maybe that's because I wasn't really feeling anything at all. I was content with him, but not completely happy. These things were so confusing to me.

I heard the sound of a car outside and went to the window to investigate. My eyes about popped out of my head when I saw the shiny silver Volvo parked in front of my house. I half ran down the stairs but stopped when I got to the front door. I walked out the door just as Edward got out of his car.

"Hey, Edward." I said in what I hoped was a casual tone.

"Hi. I brought you your bag. You left it at school yesterday." He said as he held up my plain brown backpack.

"Oh, right." I took a step toward him. In the same second that he shouted "Bella, look out!" I fell down the steep concrete steps and onto the sidewalk. I felt my head hit the railing on the steps and I heard a nasty crack from my ankle. My head was throbbing and it felt like my ankle was being torn from the inside out.

Edward was there in a second, backpack forgotten. "Bella, love, are you alright?"

I grabbed at my ankle. "No, I'm not alright!" I snapped at him. Mental note: apologize to him later.

Edward picked me up and shouted to Charlie who had, at some point, came running outside and was next to me. "I'll take her to the ER. You just follow us."

For the second time today, I was being checked up on by Carlisle.

He chuckled as he looked over my charts. "Well, Bella. It seems that you just can't get enough of me today."

"Har-har." I said with a smirk. The pain meds had me in a good-ish mood. "I just want to go home."

"Well, since all you did was get a bump on the head and a sprained ankle, I think you should be fine. I just suggest that you stay off your ankle and keep it in a brace for a week."

I groaned. "Does that mean crutches?"

"Why yes it does, dear Bella." He said full of humor.

Two hours later, I was trying to make it up the steps that I had fallen down while using my crutches. Charlie and Edward just stood behind me laughing.

"Bella, do you need help?" Edward asked.

I glared at him. "No, I don't need any help."

He held his hands up in defense. "Whatever you say."

After fifteen minutes of trying, Edward finally got fed up with me and picked me up in his arms with my backpack on his shoulder and my crutches in my hands. I heard him mutter, "Stubborn Bella" as he sat me down on the couch.

I mumbled a thank you. I was thinking that Edward would just leave but he stood there and stared at me as I worked the remote to the TV. I glanced up at him. He was smiling!

"Can I help you with something?" I asked.

"Do you know how cute you are when you're being stubborn?" His eyes went wide and he looked shocked. I don't think he meant to say that out loud. "Um…I mean, uh...I'll see you tomorrow."

And then he ran out the door. I heard his car peel out of the driveway.

**~Kelli(jellyjo2014) Okay, so this chapter is SUPER short. I'm sorry. Please review!**

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	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This chapter is brought to you by Fountain's of Wayne and their song Stacy's Mom. Yeah, its kind of a stupid song, but I think you'll like what happens with it. :)**

**I only got 5 reviews for last chapter. :( If it sucked that bad, then why don't you people tell me?**

Chapter 6: Stacy's Mom (EPOV)

_Wednesday, March 17, 2010_

Today has started out at one of the most stressful Wednesdays ever. First, I dropped my backpack in the mud and then was careless enough to throw it into the passenger seat of my Volvo. Now I've got to clean up a large mud pile in my car. Second, Tanya kept calling me all night whining about something to do with the nerd she pays to do her homework. Third, Bella hadn't told me about what happened at the doctor's office. I tried to get the information from Carlisle, but he wouldn't talk. He said she didn't want him to tell.

As I drove to school I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I groaned because I already knew who it was. I dug my phone out and hit the accept button, already regretting it.

"Hey, Tanya." I greeted her in a semi-sharp tone.

"Edward, what the hell?" She snapped. "_Why_ did I keep getting your voicemail on your cell? I tried to call you like _a million times_!" _No you didn't!_ I wanted to say, but I bit my tongue.

"My phone was off." I told her. The part I didn't tell her was I had turned it off _because_ of her.

"Why the hell would you do a thing like that?" She shouted.

"I don't know." I wanted to get off the phone quickly so I made up a lie. "Tanya, I've gotta go. I'm at school now."

"Edward Anthony Cullen! Don't you dare –" And that's when I hung up. Tanya had been getting bitchier and bitchier every day that we were together. I hardly spent any _enjoyable_ time with her. I found myself faking more and more that I cared for Tanya in a romantic way. I mean, sure she was hot, but she wasn't beautiful. She wasn't Bella.

_Wait a second, Skipper. You're not supposed to be thinking about, talking to, or around Isabella Swan._

Curse my inner dialogue.

I pulled into my usual spot in the school parking lot and got out. Usually Bella's truck was the first thing I saw when I got out. It was directly across the parking lot from my car. But today it wasn't there. Her space was empty. This confused me.

I walked inside and stopped by my locker. Bella wasn't at hers which was just four down from mine. I gathered my books and proceeded to homeroom. She wasn't there either.

It wasn't until lunchtime that I actually saw Bella. She made her way to her usual table on her crutches. I was afraid for her safety because I knew what a klutz she could be. I watched her sit down slowly and as her friend Angela Webber brought her, her lunch. I was just glad that, that moron Mike Newton wasn't there. He'd ruin everything…like he always did.

A hand waved in front of my face. I looked up. It was my little sister. "Edward, did you hear anything I just said?"

I shook my head. "Nope, sorry."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "I need to borrow five dollars. I forgot my wallet at home."

Normally I would've told her to go without her food and that she shouldn't've forgotten her money. But I didn't. I just pulled my wallet out and handed her a five. Something fell out of my wallet and onto the floor. Alice bent down and picked it up. She studied it for a moment and then handed it back to me.

"I'm sorry." She said with an apologetic smile and went on her way.

I looked at the object that had fallen out of my wallet. It was a picture. The corners were worn and the picture was almost faded, but I could remember the moment captured in it like it was yesterday. It was of me and her at First Beach last summer…the last summer we were dating. She was wearing a light blue sundress and no shoes. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and she had the biggest smile on her face. I had my arms around her waist and my chin resting on her shoulder. I flipped the picture over and saw the words _Love you forever and always –E _written on the back.

And right then, I realized that those words were true. I really did love Bella and had never really stopped.

I had to win her back. And I had to get rid of Tanya.

Biology was after lunch. When I got to my seat, Bella was already there. I noticed she looked pale still and had dark circles under her eyes. I sat down next to her. I wanted to start a conversation with her but she didn't look up to it.

"Bella?" I said softly as Mr. Monroe started the class.

"Hmm?" She said, laying her head down on her arms. Her eyes were closed.

"Are you okay?"

She just shrugged and changed the subject. "Wanna hang out at my house after school?"

I about did a dance of joy. An afternoon with Bella? That's great!

_Shut the hell up, Cullen! You can't be all happy and excited just yet._

I tried to play it cool. "Sure. I can give you a ride home if you want."

She nodded and watched Mr. Monroe as he wrote notes on the board.

At 3pm, I went to meet Bella at her last class. P.E. I was sure the coach wouldn't mind if we left early, seeing as she couldn't play anyway with her brace on her foot.

I helped her walk to my car and get in. When we got to her house, we sat down in the living room and watched a little T.V.

"Are you bored, Edward?" She asked after a while. "Sorry. I didn't really have anything planned when I asked you to come over." She blushed. That small amount of color in her face did her some good.

I shook my head. "It's okay. It's nice to just sit here with you." Should I have said that?

Apparently so. She smiled and said, "Ditto."

I got up and went to the stereo. I turned on the radio and the song that came on made both Bella and I laugh. It was Fountains of Wayne's song Stacy's Mom.

_Stacy's mom has got it goin' on_

_She's all I want and I've waited for so long_

_Stacy, can't you see? You're just not the girl for me_

_I know it might be wrong but_

_I'm in love with Stacy's mom_

Both Bella and I sang out loud. When the chorus came around again, I flopped down on the couch next to Bella and sang. "Bella's mom has got it goin' on! She's all I want and I've waited for so long!" We were both laughing.

When the song was over we were both out of breath from laughing and singing.

We sat in silence for a while.

Then Bella said something that I wasn't quite sure how to handle.

"I have leukemia."

I looked at her. I was sure my face was pale and my heartbeat had increased. "What?"

She tilted her head to the side to look at me. "I have leukemia. I got the news this morning from the doctor, your dad. That's why I wasn't at school."

I was silent. I wasn't sure what to say. She saw my hesitation and continued talking.

"All the facts I have now are that it's acute lymphocytic leukemia or ALL for short and they found a tumor in my lymph nodes. I've been suggested for a bone marrow transplant consultation and have done lots of tests to determine how far along the cancer is and when I can start chemo and radiation." She said all this with a calm face. I wasn't sure how to comprehend.

"How can you be so calm about this?" I asked. "Does anyone else know? Your mom and dad?"

She nodded. "Charlie knows but I haven't told Rene'e yet and you're the first person I've told. I'm not calm either. I was a terrified mess before I got to school and I'm still a little nervous. But why let it beat me?" Bella shrugged.

I shook my head in amazement. Anyone else, even me, would be freaking out if they got that kind of diagnosis. But not my Bella. She was strong and unbelievably stubborn even if she didn't think she always was.

"I love you, Bella." I blurted out without realizing.

She scoffed.

I scooted away from her and toyed nervously with my hands. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

She nodded. "I don't want you to say that just because you feel you have to. I mean, just because I have a life threatening illness."

I winced at the life threatening part. And then I risked it all… "I didn't say it because I felt I had to. I said it because I mean it."

"Really?"

I nodded. "Yes."

She stared at me for a while, biting her bottom lip making it red and plump. And very kissable.

_Slow it up! What if she doesn't feel the same? Ever think of that Freakward?_

Yes, inner dialogue, I did.

"Edward, I don't think it's a good idea for us to get back together. I mean, we can just be fr–" She said but I cut her off.

"No. It'd okay. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry." I stood up. "I'll…um, I'll call you later." I walked out the door and got in my car. I started driving. I had no intention of ever going there but I ended up in Tacoma. I stopped the car outside Tanya's house.

Was now really the time to do this?

_Yes! _My subconscious shouted at me. And of course it was right. It didn't matter if Bella returned my feelings or not. I didn't want to string Tanya along and I was also tired of having her around all the time. This was it. Now or never…Well, not never but certainly not soon.

I got out of the car. I glanced at my phone. 6pm. She should be here now. Hopefully her father wouldn't be home. He is the kind of guy that gives his daughter anything she wants and if he knew I broke up with her, he'd hang me.

I knocked on the door and a laughing teenage boy answered. He looked at me curiously before shouting over his shoulder, "Hey, babe. There's someone at the door."

"Who is it?" Tanya said before stopping her tracks when she saw me. "Shit!" She exclaimed just as I turned around heading back to my car.

That was easier than I expected.

Tanya trailed behind me. "Eddie, baby. It's not what it looks like."He grabbed on to my jacket sleeve stopping me from walking any further

"Who the hell is he, Tan?" I heard the other guy shout at her from the door.

She turned to him. "Alec! Just go and wait inside!" She spun her head back to me. "Edward," She said in a sickly sweet voice. "How about you go home and I will call you later?"

I laughed a sharp laugh. "Yeah. You do that." I rolled my eyes and turned to walk away. But before I could, I had to say something to her first. "You know what the funny thing is? I came here to break up with you. Turns out you and _Alec_," I said his name very carefully with a lot of contempt, "did that for me." I looked over at Alec who was still standing on the porch with a confused and angry expression on his face. "Dude, if I were you I'd get out before I lose my mind." With that, I got in my car and started my drive back home.

I got home around 8pm. I saw Emmett's jeep parked out front. I got out and walked inside.

Everyone was in the living room, even Jasper.

"Where have you been, Edward?" Esme asked me.

I ran a hand through my hair, thinking about my crazy day. "I…um, I dropped Bella off at her house," No need telling them about our hangout session, "and then I went to Tacoma to see Tanya."

Alice folded her arms and looked at me. "And?"

"And nothing." I sighed. "I'm going to head to bed. I'm really tired."

"Oh, so you don't even want to see us anymore. Thanks, Eddie." Rose said in a fake tearful voice.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. G'night." I went upstairs and fell down on my bed. Just as I was about to fall asleep, my phone went off. I picked it up, not even doubting who it was.

"Tanya, we're over. Stop calling me." I was just about to hit the red end call button.

"Edward? It's me, Bella."

I pulled my hand through my hair again. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry, Bells."

"It's okay."She said.

"Okay," I sighed. "So is there a reason you called?"

"Yeah, actually. I…um, have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. And I was wondering if you could, um…get my homework from my classes and bring it to me. Please?"

I smiled for some reason. She could've asked Alice or Angela. But no. She asked me. "Sure. I'd be glad to do it."

"Thanks."

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow, Bella."

"Okay. And Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about you and Tanya." She sounded mostly sincere.

I smiled. "I'm not. I'm glad."

She laughed. "Okay. G'night."

"Night." We hung up.

I ventured back downstairs around 10pm because it was way too early to go to sleep. My dad was in his office when I passed it. I knocked on the door. "Dad?"

"Yes, Edward?" He said. I came in and sat down in the arm chair against the wall.

"Bella told me."

He stopped what he was working on and looked at me. He sighed. "I'm sorry, son."

"What can you tell me?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Nothing I'm afraid. She said she didn't want me telling anyone."

I scoffed. Typical Bella. "Okay. I'm going to go to bed then. Night."

"Good night, Edward." He said before turning his head back to what he was working on.

I laid in bed for at least an hour before drifting off into a restless sleep.

**Okay…So I'm hoping I'll get more reviews for this chapter.**

**There's also a poll on my profile and links to some of the outfits (Prom, After Party…) of the story. **

**Also…would you all like it if I posted links to the songs for each chapter?**

**Review!**

**-Kelli**


	7. Chapter 7

***Disclaimer: All of my information came from the website .org No plagiarism is intended! I also own Nothing Twilight related.***

**A/N: Yay! I was stuck but now I'm not. For now at least…**

**This chapter is brought to you, again, by Taylor Swift and her song Tim McGraw. I'm sorry if there are some of you who 'omg i HATE taylor!' but that's not my problem. Plus, how can you hate someone you don't even know? Are you sure you're not just jealous?**

**Anywho…On with the chapter!**

**Also! I've put links on my profile for each chapter. They're on there with links to a few other things for this story. I get bored…**

Chapter 7: Tim McGraw (BPOV)

_Thursday, March 18, 2010_

It was noon and I was sitting in the doctor's office waiting on Carlisle – Dr. Cullen – to get finished with another patient before he saw me.

My phone started ringing in my pocket. I didn't know who it could be because everyone was supposed to be in school right now. I looked at the caller ID. _Mike_. That's right! He was still in New York with his family. I'd forgotten.

"Hello." I answered.

"Hey, Bella. Feeling better?" He asked.

I didn't want to tell him over the phone about my leukemia. Frankly, I didn't want to tell anyone about my condition but I couldn't do that. I lied. "I'm better now. It's noon. How'd you know I'm not in school?" I asked.

He gasped. "Shit! I'm sorry Bella. I forgot about the time zone thing. I'll call you back later."

"No!" I said with a chuckle. "I'm not at school right now. It's okay."

"Why aren't you at school?" He asked. Confusion was thick in his voice.

I lied again. "I took a personal day. You know, a day away from crazy teachers." I forced a laugh.

He believed it. "Alright. So…what've you been up to?"

I bit my lip. "Nothing much." I mumbled. I hated lying to him but there was no reason to worry him while he was on his vacation. "How about you? Having fun in New York?"

"Yeah. The wedding was boring. Mom has been shopping all trip and Dad has been hanging out in the louge of the hotel chatting up some high-money stock brokers. I've been usually out around the pool." He sighed. "It would be a hell of a lot better if you were here with me."

Aww. Mike always knew what to say. "That's sweet. I'm sure being there would make me feel better right now." Just then Carlisle came into the room. "Mike, sorry, but I have to go. Call you later?"

"Sure. Love you."

"Yep. Bye." I hung up and turned to Carlisle. "Sorry about that."

He smiled at me. "That's quite alright. Now, how are you feeling today?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Same old, same old; tired, weak, achy."

"And the foot?" He said, gesturing to my braced appendage.

I wiggled my toes. "It's great. I walked on it without the brace yesterday and everything seemed to be working."

He tsked. "Bella, with acute lymphocytic leukemia, your bones and muscle tissue are week. You shouldn't walk on it that soon without the brace. You could do more damage."

I rolled my eyes. "I know. But could you look at it? I really don't think I need the brace anymore."

He sighed and sat down on his rolly stool. He picked up my foot and took the brace off of it. He held it carefully in his hand and felt around the back of my ankle, pinch, poked, and bended and asked me if it hurt. I'd shake my head. Finally he said, "I don't think the brace is necessary anymore but you shouldn't do any running or things of that nature. Nor should you walk a far distance."

I nodded. "So what can you tell me about the leukemia?"

He laughed. "You're the first person I've met that doesn't cringe when they say leukemia."

I shrugged. "Well it's just a word. I mean, it's not like if I say it I'm going to die."

He nodded and went back to my previous question. "Seattle Cancer Care Alliance is one of the best cancer centers in the nation. It has a wonderful pediatrics center that specializes in caner among children and teens. I think because of the stage of the cancer, I'm going to recommend a bone-marrow transplant. It's a four month process. The first month is the work up and conditioning process for the transplant, the second is the actual transplant where you will become and inpatient for about two weeks. The third and fourth months are recovery and follow up appointments. You may have to stay in the hospital for three-fourths of the process. Most patients who receive this treatment have a successful recovery. The Fred Hutchinson Transplant program at SCCA was ranked number one in the United States for bone-marrow transplants. I assure you that you will be in great hands there. And I will continue to be your doctor as long as I can." He gave me an assuring smile.

"Thanks." I said. "How soon can we start this then?" I wanted to get this over and out of the way. I wanted my life back.

"Here," He pulled a piece of paper out of the manila folder he had in his hands and gave it to me. "This is a step by step brief description of the transplant procedure."

I looked over the paper in my hands.

_The Transplant Process__  
Step1: Planning Ahead. In this step, you will be making arrangements for your stay in Seattle during your treatment and deciding who will be staying with you. You will also make financial arrangements.  
Step 2: First Visit. Here you will meet members of your medical team that will help you through the entire process. You will also be given a medical evaluation, which means several conferences with your medical team, and settle into your temporary home at SCCA.  
Step 3: Conditioning. At this stage, you will receive some "warm up" treatments before the actual transplant. These treatments include things such as chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. You will be given medications to help with the side-effects of the conditioning therapy. It is these therapies that cause hair loss. You will most likely be hospitalized during the therapy process.  
Step 4: Transplant. You will receive the bone-marrow transplant through a central line or a single point of injection. This is a fairly quick procedure but is significant nonetheless.  
Step 5: Engraftment. This is the stage at which the transplant starts showing effects meaning it starts producing healthy white blood cells. Signs of engraftment show up usually 10 to 28 days after the transplant.  
Step 6: Recovery. You may be in the hospital for the first half of your recovery. The second half will be spent as an outpatient. This stage will be acted on after engraftment.  
Step 7: Long-term Follow Up. Once you return home you will be under the care of your personal doctor. You should still continue to have regular checkups with your personal doctor._

I looked up at Carlisle and smiled. "This sounds like a plan."

He smiled back at me. "Then we'll talk to Charlie and Renée as soon as we can."

I bit my lip. "I haven't actually told my mom yet."

He looked at me sternly. "Bella, you need to do that and soon."

I nodded. "I'll do that tonight and have her get a flight up here as soon as she can."

As soon as Charlie and I got home I told him I was going to call Mom.

"I don't think she's going to be too thrilled about you not telling her sooner." He said.

I shrugged. "I know. But late is better than never." I took the cordless phone up to my room.

"Hi, Mom." I said in a soft voice.

"Bella! Honey, it's been too long since I've gotten a call from you!" Renée said cheerfully. "How have you been? Are you still with Michael? How's Esme doing?" She kept rambling off questions.

"Esme's doing great. Yes, I'm still with Mike. And I'm fine under the circumstances." I told her.

She was immediately aware. "Under the circumstances? What does that mean?"

I took a deep breath. "Yesterday I was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia, or ALL."

"Oh my God! Bella! Why didn't you call me sooner!" She said, raising her voice an octave. I could hear Phil in the background asking what all the fuss was about. Renée didn't give me a chance to answer her question. "I'm buying a ticket online right now. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Mom. I talked to my doctor and we've already come up with a plan. I hope you get here soon. I love you."

I could hear tears in her voice. "I love you too baby. Bye." We hung up. It made me so mad to hear people crying over me. _I'm not dead! _ I wanted to shout. I went back downstairs and put the phone in its cradle. Charlie was sitting on the couch.

"How'd she take it?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Fair enough." I sat down on the couch next to him.

"You know, Bells, we're gonna have to talk with the school and you're going to have to explain some of this to your friends."

I nodded. "I know. But I'm only going to tell who I have to tell."

The phone started ringing. He nodded and stood up to answer it. I changed the channel on the TV to CMT Country Countdown. The song and music video playing now was Taylor Swift's song Tim McGraw. The song was about half way through.

_September saw a month of tears,  
An' thankin' God that you weren't here,  
To see me like that  
But in a box beneath my bed,  
Is a letter that you never read,  
From three summers back  
It's hard not to find it all a little bitter sweet,  
An' lookin' back on all of that, it's nice to believe:_

When you think: Tim McGraw,  
I hope you think my favorite song  
The one we danced to all night long:  
The moon like a spotlight on the lake  
When you think happiness,  
I hope you think: "That little black dress"  
Think of my head on your chest,  
An' my old faded blue jeans  
When you think Tim McGraw,  
I hope you think of me

And I'm back for the first time since then:  
I'm standin' on your street,  
An' there's a letter left on your doorstep,  
An' the first thing that you'll read:

Seeing the boy in the music video find the letter that she wrote on his front door made me think. I'd written something like that the month after Edward and I had broken up. It was just a few days before I started dating Mike.

"Bells that was the station. They said they need me to come in for a bit. Will you be alright here by yourself?" Charlie asked me as he came back into the room.

I nodded. "Edward should be here in a little bit. I asked him to bring me my homework."

He nodded. "Alright. Bye Bella." He pulled on his jacket and left.

I turned off the television and went up to my room. I dug through my desk drawer searching for the letter I'd written to Edward. Finally I found it under a heaping pile of old notebooks.

_Edward,_

_I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. But neither should you. We both screwed up. I know I've probably destroyed any chance we had at a successful relationship. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want me back after my over reaction. I should've let you explain yourself instead of jumping to conclusions. I guess I was just waiting for something to happen that proved you were too good for me. I've always known that you were. I'm sorry._

_Bella_

There were smudges on the paper where tears had stained. Reading the letter about had me to tears again. Just then I heard the doorbell ring. I folded up the letter and put it in my pocket. I went downstairs to answer the door.

"Hey, Bells." Edward greeted me with a smile. He held up his backpack. "I have your homework."

I nodded and bit my lip. I gestured to the living room. He walked in ahead of me. "Thanks." I mumbled.

"No problem." He said as he pulled my books from his bag and put them on the coffee table. He stood there awkwardly with his arms at his side. "I'll um…I'll get going then."

I stopped him as he walked past me. "No. Um…Stay, will you? We can, uh, do homework together." I suggested.

He smiled and nodded. "Alright."

We spent the next three hours sitting in the living room chatting about anything and everything, homework forgotten. It was as if everything was okay. Like it was before Edward and I started dating. I liked it.

We had just started on a conversation about colleges when the house phone rang. I got up and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bella." Mike said. "Guess what?"

I glanced at Edward who was looking intently at a piece of paper in his hands. "Um…what?" I said.

"I'm coming home early! I'll be back in Forks by tomorrow night. Would you like to do something then?" He asked me.

I thought about it. I had another appointment tomorrow. But this one was just a meeting with Carlisle. Plus Renée was probably going to get here. "I don't think that will work. I have a lot of stuff going on tomorrow. Can we do something Saturday?" I suggested.

"Yeah. Saturday's fine. I'll see you then. Love you."

"Bye." I hung up. I went back into the living room where Edward still sat looking at the one piece of paper.

"Yoo-hoo." I said with a chuckle as I waved my hand in front of his face. He blinked and looked up at me. He folded up the piece of paper and put it in his pocket. "What was that?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Nothing." He changed the subject. "So can I asked about your um, illness?"

I smiled apologetically. "You can say leukemia, Edward. Cancer, even. It doesn't bother me. And yes you can ask about it. What do you want to know?"

"What are your options for treatment?" He asked.

I told him about the bone-marrow transplant and showed him the step by step process paper. He nodded his understanding and asked if he could talk to Carlisle about it. I told him that was fine with me.

We finally finished our homework and when Charlie got home we ordered pizza and had dinner. Edward went home around 7pm. Over all, today was okay.

**A/N: Send me a review! Pronto! Haha! **

**So, school will be starting up soon so I won't have as much time to write and update. :( But I promise that I will write any chance I get! Thanks so much for supporting me story! Love y'all!**

**-Kelli**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello…This story is starting to depress me, or at least writing in Edward's point of view does. I mean just think of all the crap he's been through. Poor Eddie…**

**Anywho. This chapter is brought to you by the very depressing song Cancer by My Chemical Romance.**

**Also, school is starting up again next week which means I won't get as much time to write and update. I'll try to write as often as I can. It's going to be tough keeping up with EY and FLCT. Please don't give up on the story if I take too long to update!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight/MCR related. Thanks!**

Chapter 8: Cancer (EPOV)

_Friday, March 19__th__, 2010_

I didn't sleep a wink last night. I just sat on the edge of my bed and reread Bella's letter to me.

_Edward,_

_I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. But neither should you. We both screwed up. I know I've probably destroyed any chance we had at a successful relationship. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want me back after my over reaction. I should've let you explain yourself instead of jumping to conclusions. I guess I was just waiting for something to happen that proved you were too good for me. I've always known that you were. I'm sorry._

_Bella_

So this entire time Bella has wanted me back? And she thought I wouldn't take her back! I kicked myself mentally. Why hadn't I tried to rekindle our relationship? No, instead I rushed into another failed one to try and get over Bella. I'm such an idiot…

I knew Bella wasn't going to be at school again today so I was in no rush to get there.

By the time I made it to school, the warning bell had already rung and kids were scrambling to get to their first class. I made it all the way to lunch without talking to anyone.

"So is it true?" Jessica Stanley asked as she stood in front of me. Her arms were crossed under her breasts pushing them up in a futile attempt at creating desire in me.

I passed her and got my food. "What are you talking about, Jessica?" I asked.

"Is it true that, that Swan girl has cancer?" She huffed.

I picked up my tray. "That's none of your business." I said as I walked away but she followed me.

"Well, then is it true that you're back on the market?"

I turned and faced her. "How the hell do you know about that?"

She shrugged and smiled smugly. "Tanya and I are besties."

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "Well if you were _besties_ then you wouldn't be hitting on me right now." I walked away and sat down at my usual table. Tyler Crowley, Eric Yorkie and a few other guys were already sitting there talking about some new video game.

I managed to make it through lunch in silence and the rest of the day without anymore confrontations from Jessica or a member of her "pack".

Before I went home, I gathered Bella's homework from her teachers and headed over to her house like I had done the day before. As I drove the short distance I kept thinking about the note I still had folded up in my pocket. My mind kept going in millions of different directions.

I turned on the radio to try and keep my mind off Bella.

The song Cancer by My Chemical Romance filled my car.

_Turn away,  
If you could get me a drink  
Of water 'cause my lips are chapped and faded  
Call my aunt Marie  
Help her gather all my things  
And bury me in all my favorite colors,  
My sisters and my brothers, still,  
I will not kiss you,  
'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you._

Now turn away,  
'Cause I'm awful just to see  
'Cause all my hairs abandoned all my body,  
Oh, my agony,  
Know that I will never marry,  
And baby, I'm just soggy from the chemo,  
We're counting down the days to go  
It just ain't living  
And I just hope you know

That if you say (if you say)  
Goodbye tonight (goodbye tonight)  
I'll ask you to be true (cause I'll ask you to be true)

'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you  
'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you

I quickly flipped the radio off. That song did nothing for my mood. Bella is _not_ going to die. She's going to get the bone-marrow transplant and be okay in a little while. I'm sure of it…

I parked in front of Bella's house. I got out and took her books to the door. I rang once and surprisingly Renée answered. Her eyes were all red and puffy.

"Oh, hello Edward." She said with a sniffle.

"Er…Hi, Renée. What brings you here?" I asked her. I hadn't seen Bella's mom in years.

She sniffled again. "I should be here…for Bella."

"Oh." I paused. "Well, I have Bella's homework, so if I could just hand it to her…"

Renée nodded and stepped back so I could enter the house. I saw Bella and Charlie sitting in the living room looking over a pile of papers.

"Hey, Edward." Bella smiled as she noticed me. She stood up and came over to me. It hadn't even been 24 hours since I'd seen her last, but I could see the dark circles under her eyes and she was very pale.

"Hey, Bells. I, uh…I have your books." I said.

She smiled still. "Thanks. Just set them on the kitchen table, will you?"

I nodded and did as she said. When I came back into the room she took me by the hand and led me upstairs to her room without another word.

Once we were safely in her room, she turned to me to speak. "So…has anyone figured me out yet?" She chuckled.

I sighed. "Yeah, you know, when Jessica Stanley figures something out, everyone else knows, too."

She shrugged her thin shoulders and sighed. "Yeah, I guess that's right."

"So are you going to be back at school anytime soon?" I laughed shortly. "Because I need a lab partner."

She playfully pushed at my shoulder. We laughed. "I'm not sure. I start the chemo process on Monday. I have to stay at SCCA during that time and a little while after. So I guess I'm done at Forks High for now." She said that last part sadly. "I'll finish up my junior year with a tutor at the hospital."

I nodded slowly. School just didn't seem worth it anymore with Bella not there.

I stuffed my hands in my pockets. And that's when I felt a piece of paper in my pocket. I pulled it out.

"What's that?" Bella asked.

I opened it up and she saw what it was. It was her letter.

"How the hell did you get that?" She gasped.

I knew my face was bright red. She'd caught me. "You, uh…dropped it yesterday." I held it out to her and she snatched it out of my hands. "Is any of it still true?" I shook my head. "I mean, do you still feel that way?"

She bit her lip and covered her face with her hands. Then she nodded.

I about did a joyful dance. I knew the smile on my face had to spread farther than ear to ear.

"Are you kidding me, Bella?" Then I shook my head again. "No, that didn't come out right. What I mean is, I feel that way too. I should've tried harder to win you back. I shouldn't've thrown myself back into the game so quickly. I'm so sorry, Bella. Forgive me?" I was begging now and I didn't care one bit.

She looked at me funny. "You mean we've both been feeling the same way for God knows how long and we've just been too naive to talk about it?" She laughed and I did too.

"Yeah, I guess we have."

And then she was silent. "But I have Mike now." She said this softly.

I sighed. "I know. He's a lot better for you than I am."

She scoffed. "Maybe right now I don't need what's best for me."

I smiled and stood up from the bed. "Just let me know how you and Mike work out." I touched her cheek with the backs of my fingers. "And don't let this stupid cancer beat you, love."

She blushed and smiled. "I won't."

I smiled as I left her room and the house. I drove back home with a smile on my face. This was probably one of the best days in a long time.

**Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's short. I know. **

**I'm sorry it's so late. School has started and I don't have that much free time. So updates aren't going to be as frequent but bare with me! **

**-Kelli**


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